I read this article by Jim Daly (CEO from focus on the family) recently and thought it was a timely reminder for all of us that love really does conquer!

Here is a small portion from “Pain is a Part of Relationship”.

“You always hurt the one you love,” the old song goes, and it’s sadly true.

The moments will come when you hurt your kids. You’ll say something you shouldn’t have. You’ll do something that embarrasses them. You’ll break a promise.

None of us are perfect. And even when we say we’re sorry and admit our faults, we can’t erase what happened.

Our kids can hurt us too, sometimes accidentally and sometimes on purpose. They can lie. They can scream insults. They can slam doors or smash things or even hit us. And when they get older, sometimes the hurts can grow far worse. They can rebel. They can reject everything we tried to teach them. They can get into drugs or alcohol or promiscuity, and we’ll feel powerless to help or protect them.

When we look at the Bible, we see a depressing number of hurting families and grieving fathers. How grieved would Isaac feel when he learned that Jacob had tricked him and stolen his brother’s birthright? How many nights did the father of the prodigal son wonder, with a heavy heart, whether his boy was safe or even alive? I think about David grieving over his rebellious son, Absalom, after his boy died. “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!” he cried over and over (2 Samuel 18:33)

Honesty and forgiveness can heal relationships between parents and their children. But man, it can be hard to forgive! It’s much easier to bury our hurt in a pile of complacency and fool ourselves (or pretend) that we’ve forgiven.

“Forgiveness doesn’t come easy to us. It’s not natural. Revenge is easy, while forgiveness comes primarily through faith, by strength that comes through Jesus.”

My Prayer for all of the families at South West is that we will never stop living the life of faith and forgive always.